


That's How Trust Falls

by kooleon



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Loss of Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 21:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15495069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kooleon/pseuds/kooleon
Summary: Leo's a natural leader, desperate to train and improve, to impress his father. Now how in the world did he become such a laid-back jokester who makes fun of his sensei's rat problem?





	That's How Trust Falls

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to add this later when I get the chance, but this short piece is inspired by a Tumblr post I saw theorizing why Rise Leo is the way he is rather than the way 2012 Leo is.

Leonardo tightens his grip on the hilt of his wooden sword. He shifts his feet, eyes narrowed at the red mask in front of him. 

Leo glances off to the left; Splinter is still nowhere in sight.

“Yah!” Raphael shouts, diving forward, his makeshift sai pointing threateningly.

Leo locks his blade with his brother’s weapons and flips over his shell before whipping his leg around and sending Raph flying across the dojo.

Raph groans and pushes himself up.

“Unfair! Stop flipping around and fight, Leo!” Raph complains.

“Yeah, yeah. Suck it up, Raphy. You’ll get used to my fancy moves,” Leo sticks his tongue out.

“Where’s Sensei?” Donatello asks, scanning the dojo, “Shouldn’t he be here to facilitate training?”

“He hasn’t come in weeks,” Leo scowls, “Whatever. I’ll go check on him.”

His three brothers respond with awkward affirmations as Leo makes his way over to Master Splinter’s room.

The crack between the door and the wall glows and wavers. Leo pushes his ear against the opening and picks up...voices? He turns his face and looks in.

“Sensei!” Leo barges in with urgency, “We have been training for hours! We need your assistance.”

Splinter gives no response.

“...Please?”

Leo perks up as his father’s hand raises–

And scratches a droopy ear before flopping back onto the armchair.

“Sensei?” Leo hesitates as he considers whether he should face his father or stay in the doorway.

“Dad? C’mon, is this a lesson on persistence? I get it now, can we go train? Da–” Leo jerks to a halt. In front of him lays his sensei, covered in cake crumbs with drops of milk staining his robe. As his sensei snorts and his tail swishes, Leo evaluates the scene in disgust.

“What the hell? Sensei! Sensei!” Leo draws back a hand and smacks one of Splinter’s ears. The world suddenly spins around, and Leo is shoved face first into the hairy, crumb-layered floor.

“Ow! Aw, hell,” Leo grunts as Splinter’s foot pushes harder on his shoulder blade.

“What are you doing! I was having an incredible dream. Battling scorpions and protecting my cake!” Splinter grumbles.

“Ugh,” Leo shoves himself away from the floor, ”Sensei, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie are all training in the dojo! We need your help. Didn’t you say a month ago how now that we have the basics down we can begin training on advanced techniques?”

“Bah,” Splinter grunts and sinks back into his chair, “Go back to training. You can deal without me. I am far more needed with my cake!”

Leo fumes, slamming the door shut after stepping out of Splinter’s room.

Back in the dojo, Raph has Donnie pinned and Mikey bouncing around swinging his nunchucks. Leo rushes to the corner and kicks his skateboard up into his waiting hands.

“C’mon, bros. Let’s go boarding!”

Mikey stops and eyes his own board. “Yeah, but how? It’s daytime–we can’t go onto the surface!”

“Psh, lil bro,” Leo slings an arm around his youngest brother’s shoulders, “why use half pipes when we’ve got sewer pipes?”

Mikey grins and whoops joyously, breaking free of the half hug to grab his own board with Raph and Donnie laughing and shouting closely behind.

Leo steps onto his own board, ready to push off. He takes one last look over his shoulder.

His gaze and mouth tighten. After one last glare at Splinter’s glowing door, he speeds out of the lair, trust run to crumbs by the wheels of his bright blue skateboard.


End file.
